EVE 2Point0
by tanukihat
Summary: A colonist, newly returned to Earth aboard the Axiom, describes his first few weeks living with EVE, and the surprise that occurs therein.


EVE 2.0

by tanukihat

All Wall-E intellectual properties © 2008 Disney/Pixar

Story © 2008 tanukihat

Ever since returning to Earth, EVE and I had been living with each other in a sort of mutually-beneficial arrangement. With seeking and collecting plant life no longer necessary, EVE needed something to do, and my job of breaking down the ship's medical bay and converting it into a passable clinic for our budding village proved to be more than I alone could handle. Thus, she was glad to have a new purpose in life, and I was glad for the extra set of hands, especially ones that could lift an 800-pound nano-biogram diagnosis table.

Sharing the pleasure of our work, we spent more time together than not. We would rise in the morning, I from a deep sleep and she from hibernation mode, and quickly assign ourselves to the task at hand. Though her vocabulary was limited, a factor of her original use, over time we grew to eschew verbal communication, relying more on our knowledge of each other to work in tandem. A solid ten hours of carting equipment through the ship's third-deck portside bay, and we would return home, worn through by the labor.

The crops were growing well, so I would usually dine on brick-oven bread and bean sprouts, an all-vegan diet in the harsh climate of Earth, while EVE would draw power from the ship's solar-converters. Strangely, the physical act of eating food seemed to fascinate her, and she was content to watch me finish every meal. Following dinner, we would study ancient Earth culture or page through the ship's massive library before turning in together for the night.

When our work was eventually finished, EVE elected to stay on with me. We leant our skills out to the other colonists, her strength and speed and my newfound interest in engineering and technological construction. We made quite a team, and were seen as inseparable by the rest of the nouveau-Earth villagers. With no one else, really, to talk to, I began to hold conversations with EVE that, while one-sided, did help me to maintain my sanity. She was always happy to listen, making electronic chirps of appreciation and giggling as I recounted some moment of our day. She would always attempt to talk back, waving her arms wildly in expressive gestures, which was always amusing. Life with EVE truly was good.

However, as we wiled our time away, becoming accustomed to our new lives, I began noticing something odd - once, upon waking in the middle of the night, I found EVE missing from her customary position by the head of my bed. I was confused, but also aware that she may be subject to some strange robot behavior that I was ignorant of. I resolved to see if the mystery would repeat itself the next night and, with the ringing of my wristwatch's alarm at 3am, I again found her gone.

Where was she going? How long had this been going on? I had always been comfortable in the belief that she was always by my side as I slept, and the realization that she was leaving for some reason gave me a surprising shock. Strangely, the idea that she had a secret from me was quite upsetting. I vowed to get to the bottom of this.

The next evening, I bid goodnight to EVE as usual and lay down, feigning sleep, as she shut down her primary systems and entered her own sleep mode. I lay quietly for about 30 minutes, whereupon a blue light flickered on as EVE's eyes "opened". Through my closed eyes, I saw EVE's bright gaze rest briefly on my face before turning away as she floated silently out the door. I immediately leapt up and, at a distance, followed her.

She took a direct path to the ship; entering a 17th-deck loading bay, I was only able to follow by taking the high-speed freight elevator up and dashing down the hall outside the docking facility. There I found a door with a faint blue glow flashing back and forth from within, accompanied by the quiet sound ratcheting sound of some tool contacting metal. Assuring myself that whatever EVE was up to couldn't be that bad, I knocked soft on the door, opening it, and stepping inside.

What I saw alarmed me greatly: there was EVE, surrounded by cables and wires, many of which were jacked into her data ports, some soldered directly to the contacts. Various strange, mechanical parts littered the small room, which appeared to be one of the ship's robotic repair facilities. Electricity crackled through the air - EVE had somehow managed to pull live wires from their housing in the ceiling, attaching them to a generator of sorts. All of this seemed to be surrounding EVE and a table, on which rested a white cloth draped over...something.

As I took this in, EVE spun around and stared at me, wide-eyed, and then cast about at the various contents of the room, fluttering back and forth in agitation. It was clear to me that she had been caught doing something she didn't want me to know about. "EVE...what is all this? What's going on?" I asked. Something wasn't right. Her eyes landed on a small computer console, on which a red button was pulsing quietly. She froze, looking from me to the button and back again. Her intentions were easily read. "EVE...?" I said, but too late, "Don't!" Whatever it was, I didn't want it, but was too slow to stop her as she slammed her hand down.

The hum of electricity rose to a whining pitch, and the wires jerked to life. EVE's face blanked, and then filled with static - the wires leading from her head began to smoke, and her entire body was vibrating jerkily. A crack of static, and she clanged to the floor, motionless. The noise stopped.

I ran forward, crying out. What had she done? Had she killed herself? Why, in God's name! I reached out to touch her, but found her body burning hot. I found myself in anguish that I couldn't even hold her. I had lost my friend, the only one here that I could truly love.

Then, as I knelt there, head in hands, a motion; out of the corner of my eye, from the table. I jumped up, not knowing what to expect. Whatever was under the sheet began thrashing about, moving jerkily on the table, in danger of falling off. I cast around for a weapon of some kind, in case some forgotten malfunctioning robot had been left in the facility and reactivated by EVE's...whatever she had done. Then the sheet began to rise, higher and higher, and then - dropped away.

It was a woman. No, not a woman - a robot. Her skin was a shining, pearlescent white, and her eyes glowed bright blue. Perfectly straight, black hair flowed down her back. She stared at me, and then raised an arm and stared at her hand, turning it back and forth, examining it. Her graceful movements were accompanied by a quite whirring and clicking noise as her mechanical joints rotated and extended. Her body, entirely nude from what I could see, was more perfect than that of any living woman. What's more, she seemed to be built to my own internal preferences towards women.

I was entirely speechless, all the more because I knew, somehow, who this woman was. "E...EVE?" I stammered. She looked up at me, a small smile spreading across her pail lips. She rose from the table and moved towards me, unsteady at first, and then with confidence. As she slipped her arms around my waist, she whispered in a softer, more human version of her familiar voice: "Hello, my love."


End file.
